Beer: Reviews & Ratings

Poured from a 12 OZ bottle into a pint glass.Aroma- Fantastic aroma of apples, can't wait to tasteAppearance- Looks like a mix between apple juice and a lager. Has a small white head.Taste- Completely disappointing. I actually feel cheated when I compare the aroma to the taste. You can taste cinnamon and maybe a hint of apple, but the beer flavor doesn't appeal to me.Palate- This is a light bodied beer with moderate carbonation. The finish is dry and crisp.Overall - This does not even compare to Shipyard's Pumpkin brew. I would not try this again nor recommend it to anyone unless they want to experiment with flavors (631 characters)

Appearance (3.5) : Pours a decent 1 finger head that quickly evaporates into a foamy ring. Body is like slightly opaque apple juice.

Aroma (3.5) : I smell a bucket of damp, mushy apples, with some of them that have gone bad in the bunch. That's probably the best I can describe it in all honesty. Could be because I just picked our apple trees in the back yard (first frost). Beyond that with more detail, there's some slight tart cinnamon, with some faint corn notes. Bouquet is medium strength.

Taste (3.75) : Tartness hits first with a classic lager taste right after, which fills out the majority of the body. At the tail end there's cinnamon and a slight flavor of candy gummi apple rings. Slight faint sourness on the finish. It's definitely not too sweet. For those who are shy of sweet apple beers, this is not one of them, so you're in the safe zone. Those expecting more sweetness will be disappointed, but in all honesty it's a beer, not juice cocktail.

Overall (3.69) : As far as fruit beers go, it's hard to find one that stands up to the definition of "craft". But this beer is pretty decent, and it probably gets a worse rep than it should. Shipyard Applehead is a beer you drink when you are in the mood for a beer, but also apples. This is not cloying or overly sweet, in fact it's more beer than it is apples. However if you want apples, it's there - and it will satisfy your craving for an apple flavored beer. I'd drink it again, I may even consider a six pack on sale. Decent brew. I feel like I've described this beer in the best ability I can. Gonna finish this one on the couch in front of the tube. (1,729 characters)

Blueberry earlier, apple now. Why are people concerned about my health? I am getting more than my fair share of fruit!

Another f**king screw-top! I am wasting my mad cap-popping skills on these things. This makes Woody angry, and much like the incredible Hulk, when I get angry, I become even stronger! Inverted pour from a bottle?!? That is indicative of just how angry it made me. The two-plus fingers of ecru foam popped and fizzed like I had poured myself a glass of pop. Color was a deep, golden yellow (SRM = > 5, < 7) with NE-plus quality clarity, allowing me to see into the future. My reverie was interrupted by the Unholy Trio of Mammon, Midas and Croesus, all of whom wanted a taste. I took a deep sniff and the apple odor was so prevalent that I thought of Golden Delicious and when I said this, they ripped the glass from my hands and began chugging it in earnest! Too much gelt for me, so I opened another for myself. Mouthfeel was thin and watery, but the taste was like apple pie! Apples, certainly, but underlain with (at least) cinnamon. Wild and completely unexpected! The finish was dry, mostly because of the spice, but this was a very pleasant drink on a hot summer's day. I would recommend this on a seasonal basis, like right now. (1,261 characters)

Looks like a carbonated apple juice, I believe amongst the Johnny Appleseed Ales, the Red's Apple Ale, and the AB version of Shocktop this was the trailblazer amongst the recent trend. It pours with a fizzy white head quickly fading to nothing not much lacing on the sides of my glass. Aroma has sweet candy apple upfront with some cinnamon spice to blend into a pseudo apple pie mix, I could picture locals here dropping apple pie moonshine boilermakers into this one. The flavor is spice heavy with cinnamon sitting on the palate through each sip, and not fresh ground cinnamon the one that's been in your mom's spice cabinet since you were a kid. Mouthfeel is pretty well carbonated, tickles the back of your throat becomes a bit hard to swallow within the first few sips. Lighter bodied beer from Shipyard, at least I'm not getting their Allen Pugsley signature house yeast notes, aka no butter to speak of here. Overall not too impressed and not as appalled as I thought I was going to be, worth a shot and hell I would try the moonshine boilermaker at least once. (1,069 characters)

This one has a thin, wispy off-white head that struggles to develop but does just manage. It's not much, but it sticks around, a frothy foam sitting atop a perfectly clear and bright pale yellow brew. What's left on the glass is a bit of foamy something I wouldn't exactly call lacing along with some spots here and there.I actually like the nose pretty well. They seem to have been going for apple pie, and they achieved that to a point. Pulpy white apple flesh with a bit of juice to it bounces off a caramel malt backbone (admittedly a little thin, though that's not as apparent in the aroma), while a bit of hot cinnamon adds the spicing.It comes off as more of an apple strudel as some toastiness and dough come in with the caramel malts, though it has a cereal grain flavor that ends up making it taste more like apple jacks. Still, it works out pretty well altogether.It is on the thinner side, not simply light-bodied but lacking a little. Crispness stays firm and consistent, keeping up nicely. (1,006 characters)

Appearance: Pours a clear golden yellow with no head whatsoever. Looks somewhat cider-like.

Aroma: Apples, in your face. This beer's aromas are dominated by apples, unsurprisingly; it's kind of an apple-juice-like smell, though slightly less sweet. The ad copy for this beer says it has wheat malt, but it's not really present in the nose.

Taste: It's not bad; it's tart, rather than sweet, which is good, because a sweet apple beer would be a hard sell. It tastes kind of like a blend of apple juice and very light ale. Alcohol and hops are nonexistent, as is this supposed wheat.

Mouthfeel: It's pretty watery, but it's probably supposed to be.

Overall: I had this with an arepa and yucca fries and it was a decent complement to the meal. It's kind of an odd seasonal beer though; it doesn't seem to fit squarely into any one season. My thing with fruit beers is that I rarely get the urge to have them more than once. I don't want to disregard them all as "gimmicky," but at the same time, the big draw is a "What will this taste like?" curiosity. This one fits that profile. It's a fun change of pace, but it's mostly just so-so. (1,185 characters)

Like a bunch of seltzer water with some apple juice in it, plus a bunch of cinnamon. Weak. Not a lot going on here. Nice smell. But if I really wanted a hard cider, I probably should've just got a hard cider. Not as good as their pumpkin ale. Have yet to be wowed by a Shipyard. (278 characters)

Shipyard does many other delicious beers, but they should leave the apple-centric to others who do it better. Oddly, this was dry enough to somewhat remind me of a white wine...and I don't usually go around thinking wine and beer taste the same.

Apple is the background flavor while cinnamon is heavy-handedly up front.

What makes this even more disappointing was that Shipyard released it as a winter seasonal...there is nothing winter about this and that distinction could have been used on something far more interesting. (526 characters)

Poured from a 12 oz. bottle/ Has a golden color with a 1/2 inch head. Smell is of cinnamon and apples. Taste is strong of cinnamon, maybe a little to much, some apples, easy drinking. Feels light in the mouth and although I would not want this on a regular basis, it makes for an interesting change of pace. (307 characters)

This is my second beer by these guys. Kind of a cool idea as a follow-up to pumpkin head. Doesn't really work as well though. The apple flavor isn't very strong, which is probably a good thing, if you wanted that you could just go get a hard cider somewhere I suppose. Lighter copper color, apple aroma. Not for me. (315 characters)

A great spring ale. Often mistaken for cider, this beer is lightly flavorful, delightfully crisp and tart just like the spring air. The appearance is clear and bright, however the ale leaves very little lacing around the glass. Not for the IPA crowd but a great tasty beer, especially for cider lovers. (302 characters)

its called applehead where is the apple nonexsistent instead we get horrible spice taste in a waterey beer wanted more. first beer from this brewery may never buy there products again.trying to get this to 250 charcters but cant say much didnt like this and will never buy it again app okay smell taste mouthfeel all poor (321 characters)

It has the consistency of club soda and the stuff is fizzy. It has the taste of club soda with a few crumbs of apple pie. Overall, it comes across with a weaker apple but stronger cinnamon taste. It is hard to fathom why this ale was produced. Personally, I would rather have a nice slice of home made apple pie for dessert and wash it down with a European style pilsner. (371 characters)

The beer pours a golden color with a 1/2" fizzy white head that quickly fades to lacing. The aroma is good. It has a sweet, apple pie aroma that boasts of pale malts and a good deal of apple character. The taste is average. It has a light, pale and wheat malt flavor along with a somewhat artificial apple pie taste. The mouthfeel is fine. It is a medium bodied beer with adequate/good carbonation. This is an interesting beer that's worthy as a rotating seasonal. (464 characters)

A: Pours a crystal-clear, light orange with a half-finger of white head.

S: Cinnamon up front, with apple and wheat backing. Smells like a cinnamon apfelwine, with a subtle toasted malt. Loads of plum and raisin, but overall too much spice.

T: Dry, crisp, and it tastes like apple jacks cereal. Slightly sweet. Finishes with a hint of flowery hops.

M: Dry, crisp, with a medium body.

Overall, this beer's just okay. If you love wheat beers and spiced beers, this is right up your alley. The spice smell is a little unbalanced, and the flavor is mostly wheat, with just a hint of fruit.

Personally, I like apple-cinn things to be sweet, and just as Applejacks (cereal) isn't quite sweet enough to satisfy, I get the same overall feel from Applehead. Not that I would want this beer to be overly sweet, but the flavor is just underwhelming. (908 characters)

The head fizzes out quick, but the smell has plenty of the cinnamon and nutmeg spice in it. Tastes like a dry apple pie, which is actually a good thing: too much sweetness would make it like a wine cooler. As it is, Applehead is actually a great alternative to an overly sweet wine cooler. The balance of apple and spice is excellent. There isn't much malt presence and the mouthfeel is predominately carbonation. What makes it fine are the apple flavor together with the cinnamon. There is only a slight hint of nutmeg, which is good. I recommend this on a warm day, maybe for a barbecue, as a nice quencher. (609 characters)

12oz. bottle: This one pours a hazy, darker golden color. There was a small white head on it that didn’t linger long. Spice is the main component of the aroma, almost a cross between apple and pumpkin pie. Some wheat notes also. The taste is different. Definitely a taste of crisp apples. A bit of wheat and cinnamon. It’s not bad, I’m just not sure I could drink too many of these. (388 characters)